Prof Wendy Stevens is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology at the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) (2003-current), the largest haematology department in South Africa. Her research efforts since qualification focused largely in the HIV research arena over a period of 15 years, complemented by tuberculosis research since 2010. This can be supported by numerous peer reviewed publications and conference presentations. Dr Stevens believes she has contributed significantly to the development of capacity for affordable, accessible HIV diagnosis and monitoring in South Africa and at over 60 centers in sub-Saharan Africa. Research activities have included the expansion of early infant diagnosis of HIV, affordable viral load, CD4 and investigation of HIV drug resistance. She received an award from the National Department of Science and Technology for her contribution to the development of laboratory capacity in Southern Africa (2006) and an award from the University of the Witwatersrand for significant contributions to research (2013). Dr Stevens has been an advisor to and investigator for the following HIV research networks: the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI; New York), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN; NIH funded, Seattle), the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG; NIH funded), the Microbicide Development Program (UK based funding). In addition, she had an investigator status for a number of international grant funded projects, including the CIPRA (NIH: IU19 AI53217-01) project in collaboration with Professor McIntyre and team at the University of the Witwatersrand. Other funders of her research have more recently included: the Netherlands AIDS fund, Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada Global Fund, CDC and USAID. I have served as a consultant for the World Health Organization (Geneva), CDC (Atlanta) and NIH (Bethesda, USA) on a number of different working groups. Dr Stevens also serves on review committees for UNITAID (WHO), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges. Since November 2010, she had undertaken a role and have been appointed head of National Priority Programs at the National Health focusing on laboratory efforts related to priority diseases that currently include HIV, TB and Cervical Cancer. Her current portfolio includes the National Rollout of GeneXpert technology across tuberculosis microscopy centers in South Africa. This program is the first in the world to implement GeneXpert on a National scale, and such her team has become world leaders. Dr Stevens’ experience in HIV, TB and cancer laboratory medicine in South Africa is also evident in her many contributions to policy recommendations to the National Department of health and the NHLS in South Africa and international bodies like the WHO for CD4, HIV viral load and EID and more recently to the place for point of care testing.